The present invention relates to a universal advertising and payment system for networking, monitoring, collecting data, selling goods and services, controlling interactive advertising, controlling and effectuating electronic commerce and controlling vending equipment. The present invention also relates to physical and virtual networking of vending machines and network hardware, server based network control, and network security. The present invention can be implemented in a manner to allow operational monitoring and control of networks (and network hardware), vending machines, electronic commerce, payment for goods and services, and advertising worldwide.
Today, business centers have begun to emerge in hotel lobbies, retail outlets, shopping malls, airports, and other public access areas. A typical business center can offer copying, and faxing, among other types of products and services. Furthermore, some business centers even make a PC available for general computing tasks, printing, or access to online services. Generally, there are two types of business center classifications, the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9cunmanned center.xe2x80x9d
The xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d can include an employee to provide services, collect money, perform tasks and supervise the use of the center. The xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d typically does not require an employee and can include a copier, a fax and a PC. The xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d can be coin-cash-card activated, or may be offered as a xe2x80x9cfreexe2x80x9d amenity service to customers.
A drawback of the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d can be the reliance on paid employees. These employees can have a high operating cost. Before a xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d becomes profitable, revenues from the business center may have to pay for the cost of the employees required to operate the center. In many business centers, reliance on, and cost of employees can prevent the center from being profitable. Thus, certain xe2x80x9cmanned centersxe2x80x9d may not offer an economically viable, or profitable business model to their owners.
Additionally, another drawback in the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d can be limited hours of access and operation. Most xe2x80x9cmanned centersxe2x80x9d are xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d for business for a finite number of hours during the day, and can be xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d in the evenings and on the weekends. As a result of the limited xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d hours and reduced accessibility of services to customers, a significant amount of a business center""s potential revenue can be lost or otherwise unrealized. Most business travelers are out of the hotel on business calls during the day when the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d is xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d. When the customer returns to the hotel in the evening to use the xe2x80x9cmanned center,xe2x80x9d they may find it closed for the day.
Retail business centers, such as MAIL BOXES ETC. (xe2x80x9cMBExe2x80x9d), KINKO""S, SIR SPEEDY, and ALPHA GRAPHICS may operate their businesses in a xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d format. This can lead to the inability to meet customer needs after hours, and may result in a loss of business related revenues. For example, when a MBE store is xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d to the public for full service, a 24 hours access area can remain xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d for MBE member-customers to access their mailboxes. This minority group of business members may have limited access to some business-related services, such a copying. The general public on the other hand, not having a prearranged membership, can not use these services. Business from these potential customers is lost. Subsequently, MBE stores can suffer the same drawbacks as the xe2x80x9cmanned center.xe2x80x9d These retail locations will continue to lose revenue during the times the stores are xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d for access to member-customers but xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d to the general public.
An xe2x80x9cunmannedxe2x80x9d business center can be open for business 24-hours a day. This type of center typically relies on coin-cash-card systems to activate the business center""s equipment. The type of card accepted is a magnetic card which includes a credit card, a smart card, a debit card, a pre-paid, automated teller machine (xe2x80x9cATMxe2x80x9d) or other bank or private issued card. Coin-cash-card systems are well known for copiers, however, for faxing, PC""s, and other types of vending equipment and services, reliance on these types of systems alone can be awkward and in certain situations impractical. As a result, certain services such as faxing, and computing may not be available to customers, or offered to customers with limited service functionality.
An xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d relying on coin activated copiers and fax machines may offer little in the way of security and safety to the equipment. Furthermore, by accumulating money in coin boxes, the risk of break-ins, damage and theft can be increased. A service attendant may be required to remove money from the coin boxes at a periodic interval, adding an additional level of labor, and increasing the potential of theft. Also, customers using a coin or cash operated business center could find themselves without sufficient monetary means to pay for products and services, as coin changers and ATMs, or other cash access means may not be readily available.
Brand standard or loyalty programs (xe2x80x9cloyalty programsxe2x80x9d) that offer a customer a promotional reward, discount or other incentive for repeated use of a business center or repeated visits to a hotel or store can be difficult to implement at a xe2x80x9cmanned center,xe2x80x9d or in a coin-cash-card based xe2x80x9cunmanned center.xe2x80x9d A potential limitation of current xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d business centers, as related to the management of a loyalty program, can be tracking and recording customer usage specific to a group of locations, hotel brand or chain, particular business center, or brand-chain of retail outlet worldwide.
In many hotels and retail outlets, the addition of a business center can represent a new business model, method, or proposition. As such, financial accounting for a business center can be difficult for an owner, or operator unaccustomed to managing this type of business. Furthermore, most businesses having established a method of business operations for their core business and can find business center accounting a new and undesirable burden. For example, in many retail outlets the store is managed from a point of sale terminal (xe2x80x9cPOSxe2x80x9d) system. A business center that can not be integrated into the store""s POS system, can add an additional level of accounting burden for the storeowner. Corporate headquarters that remotely manage a population of franchised locations can struggle in managing business centers located in their franchised locations, in combination with business centers located in non-traditional business sites, such as in hotels. A further example can be in a hotel, where the hotel is managed from a system that tracks guests, rooms, and the like. A business center""s inability to integrate into a management information system (xe2x80x9cMISxe2x80x9d) or the hotel""s property management information system (xe2x80x9cPMSxe2x80x9d) can be burdensome to the hotel, and to the hotel""s customer.
A number of reasons support the long felt need of the present invention including the deficiencies and shortcomings of the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d and coin-cash-card based xe2x80x9cunmanned center.xe2x80x9d The deficiencies and shortcomings of the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d can include limited hours of operation, and a likelihood that employee costs could adversely effect the profitability of the center.
Deficiencies and shortcomings of the cash-coin-card based xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d can include a lack of security/safety to equipment and money accumulating in coin boxes. Furthermore, inadequate payment systems can result in reduced profits, limited functionality of vending products and services. Cash and coin systems can increase reliance on service attendants required to collect money from the coin boxes.
Deficiencies and shortcomings that are common to both the xe2x80x9cmanned centerxe2x80x9d and coin-cash-card based xe2x80x9cunmanned centerxe2x80x9d are numerous. These shortcomings can include the inability to implement and offer a worldwide brand/loyalty program to customers, and the inability to have interactive marketing (advertising) distributed worldwide at the point of sale. Further shortcomings include the inability to integrate into or retrofit onto existing POS and PMS/MIS systems, as well as other retail, management, and corporate networks. Another limitation includes the inability to accept a universal variety of payment means such as coin, cash, smart card, magnetic card, biometric input, and room keys/card to name a few.
The present invention is embodied in a simple and effective system and method for a universal control and payment system to distribute and display interactive advertising, conduct electronic commerce, and control the billing for the use of vending equipment. Vending equipment can include copiers, phones, facsimile machines, printers, data-ports, laptop print stations, notebook computers, palmtop computers (PALM PILOT), microfiche devices, projectors, scanners, cameras, modems, communication access, personal computers (PC), PC terminals (NET PC), and network computers (NC).
One aspect of the present invention provides a system for public access to electronic commerce. More specifically, the present invention can control, monitor, and effectuate electronic commerce transactions such that the general public can use the present invention as a public access electronic commerce station.
Another aspect of the present invention provides the ability to route credit card and other types of transactions, allowing credit card and other types of transactions to be processed in an online environment.
It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive of the invention.